[Exclusive] Prosecutor Sangyong Park Files 100 Million Won Damages Suit Against Attorney Minseok Seo... Announces Plan to Request Court Order for Full Recording Submission

80 Million Won Lawsuit Also Filed Against KBS and Reporter
Claim to Be Expanded If Full Recording Is Not Disclosed
"Seo to Be Reported to the Seoul Bar Association"

Park Sangyong, who was the deputy chief prosecutor at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office while investigating the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, has filed a lawsuit against attorney Minseok Seo, who represented former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwayoung, seeking 100 million won in damages over a dispute regarding the contents of their phone conversation.

Prosecutor Park stated that once the case is assigned and the court panel is determined, he will request the court to issue an order compelling attorney Seo—who has so far been releasing the recorded files in a piecemeal, salami-slicing manner—to disclose the entire recording of his phone conversation with Park. Park also said that if Seo fails to comply, he will expand the scope of his claim and seek additional damages.

Park Sangyong, the prosecutor who investigated the Ssangbangwol North Korea remittance case, is attending the "Hearing to Investigate the Truth Behind the Democratic Party's Dismissal of Prosecution and Trial Manipulation" held by People Power Party lawmakers at the National Assembly on the 7th and responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yonhap News

On April 14, Prosecutor Park filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 100 million won in damages from attorney Seo for unlawful acts. In the complaint, Park separated the grounds for the claim, demanding 50 million won for defamation by Seo, and another 50 million won for distortion and media manipulation through the selective release of the recording files. Park also specified that should Seo refuse to disclose the full recording, he would claim an additional 30 million won in damages.

Park further stated that attorney Seo had intentionally omitted the portion of the full recording in which he asked Park to treat Lee as an accomplice, and that KBS reporter Kim and KBS jointly reported, in a manner suggesting Prosecutor Park proposed a 'sentencing deal' to implicate President Lee Jaemyung. Park's complaint seeks 80 million won in damages from both KBS and reporter Kim, broken down into 50 million won for defamation and 30 million won for selective disclosure of the recording; he also stated that if they refuse to disclose the full recording, he would claim an additional 10 million won.

Previously, on April 2, Prosecutor Park filed a criminal complaint against reporter Kim with the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station for defamation by spreading false information under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. <Refer to our April 2 report [Exclusive] Prosecutor Park Sangyong Files Defamation Complaint Against KBS Reporter... "MBC Report Reveals Editing and Distortion of Transcript">

On March 28, reporter Kim published an article titled <[Exclusive] "A Confession Is Needed to Make Lee Jaemyung the Main Offender"... Securing Direct Testimony by North Korea Remittance Investigation Team>, in which he quoted and released part of the phone call recording between Prosecutor Park and attorney Seo from June 19, 2023, and reported, "Prosecutor Park, pointing to President Lee Jaemyung, appeared to be engaging in a so-called sentencing deal, or plea bargaining."

In his criminal complaint, Prosecutor Park argued that reporter Kim, after listening to the full conversation and even receiving an explanation from Park, knew that it was a call in which Park rejected the proposal from Lee's side to treat him as an accomplice. Nevertheless, Kim allegedly omitted these details and arbitrarily edited the conversation to report false information.

On the 28th of last month, KBS exclusively reported on the allegations of 'sentencing deal' involving prosecutor Sangyong Park. KBS news video capture

In his civil complaint, Prosecutor Park further argued that reporter Kim, despite obtaining the full recording from attorney Seo and understanding the context, contacted Park on the day of the first report to confirm if he had the file, and then published two distorted reports. Park also claimed that during a subsequent interview, reporter Kim used leading questions to elicit answers that would fit his predetermined "sentencing deal" narrative.

Meanwhile, in the complaint, Prosecutor Park pointed out, "Attorney Seo openly revealed, after participating in the Democratic Party's preliminary primary for Cheongju mayor and appearing on a radio broadcast, that he disclosed the transcript to boost his support in the primary, saying, 'I felt my approval rating increased after exposing the transcript during the campaign.' He also admitted to consulting with Democratic Party members of the National Assembly's special committee before deciding which parts of the transcript to release, effectively conceding that he collaborated with the Democratic Party in orchestrating the disclosure."

Park continued, "When the anchor asked Seo whether he intended to disclose everything to the media and why he didn't submit the recording as evidence during the trial, Seo evaded the questions and failed to provide an answer."

Prosecutor Park added, "I question whether the defendant realizes how his interviews are being perceived. The defendant's behavior is so bizarre as to be incomprehensible, even to me, a junior legal professional."

Park also stated, "I will present the views of many legal professionals regarding attorney Seo," introducing posts about Seo written on social media by Prosecutor General Jeong Yumi, attorney Choi Changho, and former prosecutor Byeon Junseok, who was Seo's student at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Prosecutor Park said, "Prosecutor General Jeong pointed out that when meeting a defendant requesting to be considered an accomplice, it is only natural to ask them to honestly testify about the main offender. She further noted that selectively editing such conversations to claim that the prosecutor offered to treat someone as an accomplice if they made Lee the main offender is an excessively malicious distortion."

Park continued, "Attorney Choi wrote on his blog that the behavior of defendant Minseok Seo is likely to be nothing more than fragmented content devoid of context, serving merely to stir up public opinion. He added that while Seo's claims are based on circumstance and speculation, Prosecutor Park's rebuttal relies on official records produced by the state system."

Minseok Seo, the attorney who represented Lee Hwayoung, former Vice Governor for Peace in Gyeonggi Province, held a press conference on the 6th in front of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the submission of phone recording evidence related to the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case and stated his position. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Finally, Park said, "Even former prosecutor Byeon Junseok, who was Seo's student at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, has indirectly criticized Seo's incomprehensible behavior. Byeon wrote on Facebook, 'The only legal response a prosecutor can give when asked to treat a client charged as the main offender as an accomplice is to first identify who the main perpetrator is and what that person's actions were.'"

Park further introduced Byeon's remarks: "He wrote, 'Whether it is persuasion or a legal explanation, the overall context must be considered. It is strange that, despite having directly recorded the file himself, attorney Seo refused to comply with requests to disclose the full recording. One wonders why he does not disclose it, since it would be advantageous to him.'"

Park added, "Byeon also pointed out, 'Now, about three years later, the recording was made public at a press conference immediately after attorney Seo declared his candidacy for Cheongju mayor. The problem is not the release itself; it is the three-year interval and the timing, immediately after the declaration of candidacy, that create the context.'"

Meanwhile, Park's legal representative stated, "The plaintiff's representative plans to file a complaint with the Seoul Bar Association regarding attorney Seo's violation of his duty of truthfulness as a lawyer and his manipulation of state institutions and the judicial system, being used in the Democratic Party's scheme to dismiss the prosecution."

Attention is now focused on whether the court will accept Park's request for an order compelling the disclosure of the entire phone recording with attorney Seo, and whether Seo will comply if such an order is issued.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.